10 Wrestlers Who Won Despite Taking The Finish
6. Jerry Lawler (WWE SummerSlam 1993)
A believably violent spectacle that could have descended into silliness had it not been for the artistry of the three key components, Bret Hart's back-to-back matches with Doink and Jerry Lawler at SummerSlam '93 were mesmerising.
Booked to fight 'The King' over rightful ownership of WWE's crown - Bret's claim as result of his epic King Of The Ring tournament win in June, Lawler's over simply saying that's what he was - Hart was yet again held back from facing his cowardly foe when a supposedly injured Lawler sent his "court jester" in there to do the dirty work.
'The Hitman' could barely toast a hard-fought victory in that match before the real one kicked off in earnest. Lawler struck with his crutch, confirming that he was good to go and the match could now go forth. Hart recovered and obliterated his rival, but was so consumed with hatred that he held the match-winning Sharpshooter on so long that he was stripped of the victory.
Inspired feud-extending booking, this was protection done right. The Sharpshooter looked like a killer, Hart only less so, and 'The King' had just barely escaped with his (otherwise meaningless) moniker in tact.